In the constantly evolving cycle of beauty trends, one thing remains unchanged — the need for a good multi-tasking product. Since launching in 2014, that is exactly what Nudestix have provided their customer and in doing so, co-founders Taylor and Ally (along with their mother Jenny) Frankel have not only built a beauty empire, but revolutionized the way beauty is marketed via social media in the process.
“[My sister and I] were 14 and 17 and that experience of going into retailers, scrolling through social media, watching beauty influencers, speaking to our friends…[even standing] on the sidewalk, or on a train or in an Uber and watching women do their makeup [on the go]…that was kind of the ‘AHA’ moment for us, because we thought, ‘Wait a second, the industry isn’t speaking to reality, it’s not authentic to the real woman today’…We couldn’t find anything that worked for us, because you only had your artistry brands or your skincare, there was nothing in between,” explains co-founder and Chief Inspiration Officer, Taylor Frankel. This epiphany gave birth to Nudestix – a less is more beauty brand with easy, fast and effortless the priority in creating products for all skin tones and types.
Early adopters of influencer seeding and marketing, as well as being leaders of the pack when it comes to jumping on upcoming social platforms and trends, Nudestix have seen the development of a loyal influencer network, a retail partnership with Sephora unfold globally and their following grow to almost half a million on Instagram.
So, what’s the trick?
“When we first launched Nudestix in 2014, social media and Instagram was really just starting out, there was no such thing as paid social or paid ads…or even paying influencers. It was still quite organic when it came to getting traction and momentum,” she says.
“A lot of it was product seeding, working with bloggers, obviously within the last six years there has been a big shift. We were very lucky because as a small brand at the time…if social media was what it is today, I do think it might’ve been more difficult. Six years ago, it was all organic growth, which I think took a bit longer but in hindsight allowed us to really develop and engage an authentic community,” she says.
Despite Frankel attributing growth to the social media landscape at the time, the brand’s ability to pivot can’t be underestimated…more so now than ever before, but something legacy brands across industries quite often struggle to do. “I think right now, especially during these times, it’s so important to just set long term goals for yourself but also be flexible enough to adjust because you never know what’s going to come your way. This year it was COVID, it was figuring out ways to adjust and create products that are relevant and feeling okay with things not going according to plan all the time because things will change…you have to be agile…that has been one of my biggest learnings this year,” she says.
Part of being agile in this case has been moving onto TikTok. While the brand can partly attribute its success to having been a leader in acknowledging the power of Instagram and then Snapchat, TikTok was the obvious next progression.
“I love that it’s snack-able content, it’s quick, it’s easy to absorb,” she says of TikTok. And with the foundation (no pun intended) of the brand, being beauty that is easy to fit into a busy lifestyle and schedule, TikTok fits the bill perfectly. “I think that’s essentially what Nudestix is to begin with. When we started [the brand], our tutorials were actually called Snap Nudestix Makeovers, because that’s also when Snapchat had just launched. We wanted to create 15 second tutorials, versus your hour long YouTube videos, [which clearly still have their place and have seen a resurgence with Gen-Z], but TikTok makes a lot of sense for us. It’s easy to digest content. It’s super entertaining and you’re educating your followers at the same time. It’s been a process navigating it because it’s such a new platform but there’s a lot of opportunity there to grow.”
But with such a priority on engaging with and responding to the feedback of their loyal audience, Frankel acknowledges that comes with its own set of problems — one of which is acknowledging generational differences between audiences; all of whom are equally as important as Nudestix customers. “Millennials, like myself,” says Frankel “want products that are easy, fast and effortless, you draw and you smudge. That no-makeup makeup for us is the number one priority. The millennial now is maybe like a mum or building a career, or both…she just doesn’t have time. Gen-Z is so conscious of everything; they’re conscious of packaging, they’re conscious of messaging and ethos and how we lead ourselves internally as a brand, making sure we’re leading ethically,” Frankel says.
“It’s interesting to see how Gen-Z are so in tune with which brands they’re purchasing into. They’re so smart. They understand that there are a million brands and a million products out there. Why are they going to spend their dollar on your brand?”
When it comes to how this has informed the development of the brand, Nudestix are working hard to practice what they preach, especially when it comes to the sustainability and environmental concerns front of mind for young customers.
Each and every product comes in a tin, this is the final packaging, Frankel explains. “It has a mirror inside, so you can always do your makeup on the go…but for us, we [also] wanted to create packaging that wasn’t one time use and was sustainable in the sense of recycling. Every single tin is made out of recycled material called tin plate, which is infinitely recyclable,” she says. “We also just launched a recycling program as well, where we send you a 100% per cent compostable bag, which you can then fill up [with at least 15 tins], send back and we recycle your product for you.”
When it comes to the ingredients themselves, the brand can boast being vegan, cruelty-free, preservative, paraben and sulphate free. “We tried to make our products as clean as we possible can, to ensure they work on all skin types.”
“We realised this new generation of women and men are so conscious of not only, what they’re putting in their body but also what they’re putting on their skin and on their face…and that was six years ago. I guess for my sister and I, being 14 and 17 at the time, those were things that were genuinely important to us and our lifestyle.”
In looking to the future, Nudestix have most recently announced their move into skincare. Launching on October 10th after two years in the making, “it’s going to be huge!” says Frankel. “We worked with a renowned dermatologist based in Beverly Hills, he’s incredible, his name is Dr. Jason Emer and obviously my [mum] being a chemical engineer and scientist. We’ve been able to develop…the perfect line of simple, multi-tasking vegan powered skincare for confident, nude-faced beauty.”
Shop Nudestix and Nudeskin here.